Vortex of Doom
by JJ Rust
Summary: A new enemy appears! Transformer-like machines from another dimension invade Earth! While the Autobots and their human allies fight to survive, Megatron schemes to take advantage of the situation. But there is a wildcard in the mix. An old human warship may hold the key to Earth's salvation.
1. Chapter 1

_Location: Near Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA_

_Date: May 2nd, 1994_

* * *

_There it is. The last place in the world I want to be._

Lieutenant Jeff Rowan grinded his teeth together as he stared at the orange-brown towers rising above the trees. Autobot City stood like a lonely sentinel in the middle of this vast forest.

He snorted, remembering the last time he was there, how he'd just lost it in front of the United Earth Autobot command staff. That had cost him his captain's bars. Even worse, he'd been transferred to the one place no true warrior ever wanted to go.

The Pentagon.

Sixteen months he'd been there. Sixteen months sitting behind a damn desk and writing assessments of the world's other special operations forces. Sixteen months working side-by-side with bureaucrats, ass-kissers and political appointees who knew shit about the military.

It was a mystery to him how he managed not to stick his pistol in his mouth and end the misery.

Despite how much he hated the Five-Sided Puzzle Palace, right now he'd rather be there than here.

Rowan looked over his shoulder at the C-141 sitting on the runway of Brett Airfield. What he wouldn't give to just walk back on board and return to Washington. Or better yet, his hometown of Edgewater Park, New Jersey. Over the past 16 months being a civilian looked more and more appealing to him.

But he was still in the Army and still had to follow orders. Right now, the Army wanted him at Autobot City.

Why he had no idea.

The growl of an engine caught Rowan's attention. He looked left. A rounded, red and white Lancia Stratos sports car roared alongside the runway. He didn't move as it continued toward him. A hundred feet. Eighty. Sixty. Forty.

Rowan still didn't move.

Tires squealed. The Lancia Stratos seemed to come apart in slow motion. Within seconds it transformed into a stocky robot with a drill-shaped cannon on its right shoulder and a compact gray and white head.

"Lieutenant Rowan. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you, too, Wheeljack." Rowan smiled as the Autobot engineer bent down and extended his large hand. He gave him a high-five. Even though Rowan left the UEA on bad terms, it didn't mean he disliked all the Autobots.

Just the ones in charge.

"So what are you doing back?" asked Wheeljack.

Rowan shrugged. "Beats me. The brass told me to get my ass out here, so my ass is out here."

"Do you think that's good or bad?"

"Hope for the best, expect the worst. That's about the only thing you can do in situations like this."

Wheeljack chuckled. "Then I'll definitely hope for the best for you."

"Thanks. So what brings you up here?"

"Actually, General Goodson sent me here to collect you." Wheeljack referred to the commander of UEA operations in the United States.

He transformed back into the Lancia Stratos. "Hop in."

Rowan grinned. It sure as hell beat riding in a Humvee. He slid his lean, firm 5'10 frame into the passenger's seat. All the times he'd ridden in Autobots, he never sat in the driver's seat. There was just something disconcerting about having the steering wheel in front of him and not being able to touch it.

The second after he put on his seatbelt, Wheeljack shot down the runway. The planes and buildings of Brett Airfield, which had gone up during the construction of Autobot City, blurred past. Rowan looked into the rearview mirror. A round, youthful face stared back at him. He glanced over his dark green Class A uniform, then made sure the green beret sat straight on top of his short brown hair.

Wheeljack turned down a dirt road, adjusting his tires to deal with the rougher terrain. It made for a remarkably smooth ride for Rowan.

"So what have you been up to these days?" he asked.

"I've been working on a new round for our cannons." Wheeljack's enthusiastic voice blurted from the car's stereo system. "A gravity disruption round."

"How does it work?"

"When it detonates, it creates a localized anti-gravity bubble, ideal for any Decepticon we may want to take prisoner. Unfortunately, there are still some problems with it."

"Like what?"

"Like trying to keep the graviton containment field from collapsing before the round is launched," Wheeljack explained. "It won't do us any good if we get caught in that anti-gravity bubble instead of the Decepticons. But I'm working on it."

Rowan grinned. He couldn't count how many times Wheeljack's conversations about his latest invention ended with, "I'm working on it."

The trees thinned out, giving Rowan a clear view of the massive form of Autobot City. A series of beeps and clicks came from Wheeljack's speakers. It was his personal IFF, or Identification Friend or Foe, signal to alert the city's automatic defenses to let him through.

They drove over the bridge spanning Aspen Lake and into the city. Rowan gazed out the window at the square-shaped structures and towering spires. A few vehicles passed by, some human Humvees, others Autobots. He leaned back in his seat, recalling his year-and-a-half with the UEA. At first he thought no assignment could be better. Who wouldn't want the opportunity to work with honest-to-God aliens? He thought back to his childhood, watching reruns of _Star Trek_, thinking how cool it was for humans to interact with all the different aliens. He'd even organized some of the neighborhood kids to play _Star Trek, _using Brian Peterson's treehouse for the _Enterprise._

Rowan, of course, always had to be Captain Kirk.

Being with the UEA exceeded those childhood dreams a thousand times. He was defending not just America, but the entire human race from the Decepticon threat. He had made friends with aliens who had been around since before early man discovered fire. Autobots like Cliffjumper, Jazz, Warpath, Hoist, Wheeljack, even Grimlock, become true brothers-in-arms.

But all it took was one day in the New Mexico desert to change his view of the human/Autobot alliance.

"Here we are," Wheeljack announced as he came to a stop.

Rowan looked at the rectangular building next to him. The sign above it read JOINT AUTOBOT HUMAN OPERATIONS CENTER.

"Thanks, Wheeljack." He slapped the dashboard. "See you around."

Rowan got out of the Autobot and entered the JAHOC, or "Jayhawk" as most US service members called it. He walked through the wide, high-ceiling corridors, saluting superior officers and being saluted by NCOs. He also said hello to Bumblebee and Seaspray as they passed by. Soon he stood in front of a huge door with two signs, one at human eye level and the other at Autobot eye level. Both read CONFERENCE ROOM ALPHA 3. Rowan pressed the red button on the wall. The door slid open.

A large, circular conference table sat in the middle of the room. Beyond it was a horseshoe-shaped desk and an IMAX screen on the wall. Rowan snapped to attention when he noticed the tall man with brown-gray hair and a craggy face sitting behind the desk.

"Sir. Lieutenant Rowan reporting as ordered."

"At ease, Lieutenant," said General Henry Goodson. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Sir." Rowan had met Goodson during Desert Storm while assigned to the Special Forces team guarding General Schwarzkopf. Goodson had been the S-5 on Schwarzkopf's staff in charge of planning and strategy. Rowan came to respect the man greatly, as he never forgot his infantryman's roots and always put the needs of his soldiers first. A modern day version of Omar Bradley. Goodson, in turn, had been impressed with Rowan's skill, professionalism and tactical mind.

Had he impressed the general enough where he was willing to give him a chance to redeem himself?

"Welcome back to Autobot City, Lieutenant," came a deep, booming voice to his left.

Rowan bristled, forcing himself to turn. His jaw clenched when he looked up at the large, bulky Autobot with a red torso and blue and white legs. None other than the Big Bossbot himself, Optimus Prime.

It took an effort for Rowan to beat down his anger as he recalled the last time he and Prime were in the same room.

"So, how are things at the Pentagon?" asked Goodson.

Rowan turned back to the general and drew a deliberate breath. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

Goodson nodded.

"It sucks."

The general chuckled. "Why am I not surprised you'd say something like that? Aw hell, I've been around enough of you Green Berets to know behind a desk is the last place you want to be."

"That's correct, Sir."

"The United States Army invested a lot of time, effort and resources to forge you into one of our most elite soldiers. It seems an awful waste of talent to keep you cooped up in some office keeping track of what sort of boots Spetsnaz commandos wear."

"I agree, Sir."

"I'm sure you do. That's why I brought you here to Autobot City, to get you back where you belong, in the field. I figure sixteen months in the purgatory that is The Pentagon is enough time for you to learn your lesson." Goodson paused. "You have learned your lesson, right, Lieutenant?"

Rowan's eyes flickered to Optimus Prime, then back to Goodson. "Yes, Sir."

"Good." Goodson turned to the Autobot leader. "Prime."

Optimus Prime stepped over to the IMAX screen. Rowan felt the tremors from robot's footfalls ripple through the floor. Prime waved a hand in front of the screen, which immediately came to life. The image of a small, brown-green island appeared.

"This is the island of Iwo Jima, located 750 miles southeast from Tokyo. General Goodson tells me the island is famous in military circles."

"It was the site of one of the most famous battles in the Pacific Theater during World War Two," stated Rowan. "We lost about 6,800 men, the Japanese lost around 20,000."

Prime nodded and continued. "Twelve days ago the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine _Hayashio_ was on routine patrol near the island when it detected anomalous energy readings. A research ship was dispatched to conduct a more in-depth investigation."

"I take it they found something?" asked Rowan.

"The exact nature of the anomaly is not known. But it has been determined that it is emitting energy waves similar to one of our space bridges."

"And the Autobots aren't building a space bridge near Iwo Jima, right?"

Goodson shook his head, with Prime replying, "No."

"Is it some kind of natural phenomenon?"

"Unknown," answered Prime. "It is imperative we learn what this anomaly is and whether it is something the Decepticons can exploit for their benefit."

"The UEA is putting together a research team to send to Iwo," said General Goodson. "There are four countries involved in this. Us, the Russians, Australia and Japan. The American science contingent has six members, led by Doctor Alex D'Amato, a theoretical physicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I'm giving you command of a Special Forces A-Team. Your mission is to provide security for Doctor D'Amato's science team."

"Yes, Sir," the enthusiastic reply burst from Rowan's throat. Finally, here was his chance to get out of the damn Pentagon, command soldiers and do something meaningful again.

"But before you go, you're going to need these." Goodson stood and walked around the desk, waving for Rowan to come over.

He stopped a few feet from the general, who opened a small box. Rowan glanced inside. Joy swelled within him.

The box contained the double silver bars of a US Army captain.

"I had to pull some strings to do this, but effective immediately, Lieutenant Jeffrey Alan Rowan, I hereby promote you to the rank of captain, United States Army, with full rights and privileges accorded by this rank."

Rowan stood at attention as Goodson removed the single, silver first lieutenant's bars from his collar and replaced them with the captain's bars. He saluted the general, then shook his hand. "Thank you, Sir."

"Just don't do anything to lose these again."

"I won't, Sir."

"Good. Congratulations, Captain."

"Thank you, Sir."

Goodson returned to his desk.

"Sir," said Rowan. "I assume my A-Team won't be the only trigger-pullers on Iwo Jima."

"Absolutely not. It's only a matter of time before the 'Cons find out about this anomaly, if they haven't already. The UEA isn't taking any chances with security. The Navy has assigned the _John F. Kennedy _carrier battle group to Iwo, which includes the amphibious assault ship _Saipan _and its nineteen hundred Marines. The Eighty-Second Airborne is also deploying a dozen of their laser-equipped M551 Sheridan light tanks to the island."

_Laser tanks. _Less than ten years ago the idea was pure science fiction. But the Decepticon threat had forced militaries all over the world to pour everything they could into the development of next generation weapons. Combat systems projected for two, three, even four decades from now entered service in just a handful of years. Necessity was the mother of invention.

Or in this case, the threat of extinction was the mother of invention.

"As for other contributions from UEA forces," Goodson continued. "The Russians sent their own carrier group centered around the _Minsk, _plus a battalion of naval infantry."

A scowl formed on the general's face. Despite the end of the Cold War, Rowan figured Goodson found it hard to work with a country he'd spent nearly all his adult life training to fight.

Hell, even Rowan sometimes found it hard to look at the Russians as allies.

Goodson went on. "The Aussies are sending the Fifth/Seventh Mech Battalion, a squadron of F/A-18s, four frigates and a sub. JSDF units include a mech battalion, a squadron of F-15s, four destroyers and a sub. Since Iwo Jima is Japanese territory, per UEA directives they have operational command of the situation."

"What about the Autobots?" Rowan looked to Optimus Prime.

"I am dispatching two teams, one science, one security. The science team consists of Perceptor, Skids, Pipes and Cosmos. The security team is made up of Grimlock, Swoop, Brawn and Kup."

Rowan barely stifled a groan. He turned away from Prime, jaw clenched.

_You gotta be shittin' me. _Kup. They were actually going to assign him to the same mission as Kup? After what happened in New Mexico? What the hell would possess them to do that?

"Is there a problem, Captain?" asked Prime.

Rowan looked to the Autobot leader, then to General Goodson, who wore a concerned expression.

"No, Sir. No problem at all," he lied.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_United Earth Autobot, or UEA, is my own creation, as Gen 1 Transformers never included any sort of formal alliance between humans and Autobots as one would expect given the Decepticon threat to Earth._

_Brett Airfield is a fictional US military base, but is named in honor of a real-life Air Force F-111A pilot from Corvallis, Oregon, Lieutenant Robert Brett. He was lost in action over North Vietnam in 1972._

_In this story, most of the Transformers weapons will resemble the ones seen in the film versions, since they seem more practical for robotic lifeforms than the handguns used in the cartoon series._

_Enjoy the rest of the story._


	2. Chapter 2

Rowan tried to suppress his hostility toward Kup as he stalked down the corridors of JAHOC. Not an easy thing to do when he thought about New Mexico.

_You'd better do it if you want to keep those captain's bars._ General Goodson showed enough faith in him to give him a second chance. He didn't want to do anything to make the UEA commander-in-chief think that faith had been misplaced.

_Steve Howe can get eight or nine second chances. You only get one._

Rowan took a human-sized elevator to the eighth floor, then walked down the corridor leading to a transport tube. A stocky Autobot with a light gray hide and black trim approached him.

"Well look who the cat dragged in," Jazz said in his usual, upbeat tone. "Good to see you, again, Lieutenant Rowan."

"You too, Jazz. How are things?"

"Same as always. Maxin' and relaxin' when I'm not poundin' Decepticons."

Rowan grinned. Jazz, more than any other Autobot, had developed a passion for human slang and used it every chance he got.

"So what's new with you?" asked Jazz.

"Well, for starters, they promoted me back to captain."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. They also put in charge of an A Team. We're heading out to investigate some anomaly at Iwo Jima."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Jazz paused. "Um, you do know Kup is gonna be there."

Rowan bristled. "Yeah, I know."

"Does he know you'll be there?"

"If he doesn't, I'm sure he will soon."

"Uh-huh." Jazz nodded. "Well, I hope things, you know, go okay."

"So do I. Good seeing you again, Jazz."

Rowan continued to the transport tube. When he stepped inside, he said, "Human Habitat Three."

He sat on one of the benches as the tube accelerated down the tunnel, emitting a low hum. He opened the manila folder Goodson had given him, which contained the files on the members of his A Team and Dr. D'Amato's science team.

Rowan started with his Green Berets. First was his XO, First Lieutenant Ben Combs. Top ten percent in his West Point class. Former platoon leader with the 101st Air Assault Division. Fresh out of Special Forces training.

No combat experience.

That concerned Rowan. Special Forces training or not, he had no idea how Combs would react when the bullets and lasers started flying.

The next file belonged to Master Sergeant Scott Flaherty, the senior NCO. Rowan only knew him by reputation. He'd fought in Vietnam, Panama and The Gulf, trained guerilla forces in a dozen different countries and already did one stint with the UEA. All in all, he looked like a good man to have in a fight.

Four members of the A Team Rowan had previously served with. Sergeant First Class Ramon Javier, the intelligence specialist, Staff Sergeant Wayne Bannister, the light weapons leader, Sergeant First Class Lamar Anderson, the medical specialist and Staff Sergeant Oscar Cruz, the radio specialist. The remaining five members he didn't know. That caused the corners of his mouth to curl. He preferred to go into a situation with a team he was familiar with, men whose personalities, strengths and weaknesses he knew.

A sardonic smile formed on his lips. He imagined many of these Green Berets wishing they had another CO instead of one who'd, in their eyes, grown soft sitting in the Pentagon.

_If they only knew._

A sliver of doubt crept into Rowan's mind. Eighteen months was a long time to be out of action. Skills did deteriorate the longer one went without using them.

Had he grown soft from his time at the Pentagon?

_Bullshit._ He'd seen his share of engagements with the Decepticons. He knew what to do if Megatron's iron buttholes showed up.

If only he had better weapons to do it with.

Rowan groaned, thinking again of New Mexico.

The tube slowed, then halted, before he had a chance to review the files on Dr. D'Amato's science team. He got off and strode down the corridors until he came to Room 830. Rowan pressed the buzzer.

No answer.

He pressed it again.

Still no answer.

"What the hell?" he grumbled. General Goodson told him Dr. D'Amato would be in his quarters.

Rowan pressed the buzzer a third time and knocked on the door. "Doctor D'Amato?"

The door slid open. Rowan's eyes flared in surprise.

A woman answered the door. She stood about 5'6 with a slender frame, a smooth round face and short brown hair. She wore a blue T-shirt with unicorns running along a rainbow and white shorts that showed off nice, well-toned legs.

"Yes?"

"Um . . ." Rowan quickly regained his composure, at the same time noticing the music coming from the room, a strange combination of synthesizers, wolf howls and a mournful chorus. "Sorry. I was looking for Doctor D'Amato."

"That's me."

"Doctor _Alex_ D'Amato?"

"A-ha!" The woman thrust a finger into the air. "You were expecting a male Alex. Sorry to disappoint."

Rowan took another glance at her legs. He didn't think there was anything to be disappointed about.

"Alex is short for Alexandra," she explained. "But I hate that name. Too long and too formal sounding."

"Gotcha. Anyway, I wanted to come by and introduce myself. Lieu . . . Captain Jeff Rowan, Special Forces. My A Team's been assigned to protect your team."

"A Team? What, you're bringing along Mr. T and George Peppard?"

Rowan chuckled. "No, Doctor. A Team is what we call a standard 12-man Special Forces detachment. I thought it would be a good idea to get acquainted since we're going to be spending a lot of time together on Iwo Jima."

"Well, I guess it is a good idea to get to know the guy who's going to keep us all safe from the Decepticons. C'mon in."

"Thank you." He stepped inside as D'Amato walked over to a small CD/cassette player on the bureau.

"That's some interesting music," said Rowan.

"Ed van Fleet. I love how he combines synthesizers with the natural sounds of the world. I always play his music when I do yoga."

Rowan gave a slight nod as D'Amato turned off the player. Yoga, new age music, a t-shirt with unicorns and rainbows. Was this woman cut out to lead a scientific team?

D'Amato turned back to him, hands on her hips, head tilted to one side. "You still have that surprised look on your face."

"Sorry. I was just expecting someone, um . . ."

"Someone male?"

"I was going to say someone older."

"Heh! I am thirty. Sometimes that feels old to me."

Rowan had to disagree. He was going to turn 30 in seven months and he sure as hell didn't feel old.

"Oh well." D'Amato shrugged and smiled. "To be honest, I was a bit surprised they put me in charge of the science team."

"So why did they?"

"Probably because of what I do for JPL. I study faster than light travel. Hyperspace, space folding, wormholes."

"You think that's what this anomaly on Iwo Jima is?"

"We won't know until we get there, will we?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Well, I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed." D'Amato did just that, all the while bouncing on the balls of her bare feet. "Maybe this'll turn out to be a wormhole and give us the key to traveling across space in seconds instead of centuries."

"We can actually do that now with the Autobots' space bridges and shuttles," Rowan pointed out.

"Okay, I'll rephrase it. Traveling across space on our own. As cool as the Autobots are, they are very guarded about their technology."

Rowan felt his face stiffen. "Tell me about it."

**XXXXX**

"Reminds me of the Hrzath Desert on Avaktra."

Kup stared at the image of Iwo Jima, the large screen reflecting his slender white and light blue frame and stoic face. The island was an ugly shade of gray with a few volcanoes breaking up the relatively flat terrain. It also wasn't very big. Just eight square miles in size, going by human measurements. Much of the surface consisted of volcanic rock and ash.

_And the humans actually killed one another over this ugly dirt pile._

"At least it's surrounded by an ocean," noted the squat orange and green Autobot Brawn. "I bet you didn't have that in the Hrzath Desert."

"Ocean mean beach," blurted Grimlock, who was in his gray tyrannosaurus mode. "Grimlock love the beach."

"There's nothing to love about this beach." Kup's fingers tapped on the console. Orange lasers emitted from the screen, creating a floating, full color 3-D image of Iwo Jima. "The sand on this island is all volcanic ash. It's going to slow us down on foot, and you can forget about vehicle mode. We'll just get stuck in the damn stuff."

"Not Swoop," said Swoop, who was in his blue and gray robot mode with V-shaped wings on his back and a pointed red helmet. "Swoop fly."

"Yeah, aren't you lucky," Kup grumbled. He turned back to the image of Iwo Jima. "At least one advantage is that this is a small island. If the Decepticons attack, it shouldn't take long to get to any trouble spot and support the human soldiers. Especially you, Swoop, since you'll be in the air most of the time."

"Swoop won't let Kup down." He gave him a thumbs up.

Kup grunted. He hoped that was true. He had no issue with the Dinobots' fighting skills or toughness. Their intelligence, however, concerned him. After millennia of combat, Kup had learned that a warrior's greatest asset was not his weapon, but his brain.

The Dinobots, unfortunately, were severely lacking in the brains department.

Kup spent the rest of the briefing assigning areas of responsibility to each member of his security team, running down the order of battle of the UEA forces on Iwo Jima and examining the jetpacks for non-flying Autobots, meaning all except Swoop and Grimlock, who'd been created with anti-gravity generators.

"What Kup think ano . . . ano . . . thing is?" asked Grimlock.

"The anomaly? I don't know. That's the science team's concern, not ours."

"You're not even a little curious?" said Brawn.

"I learned a long time ago that bots who are curious usually get into trouble. Big trouble."

Brawn nodded. "I think the humans have a saying along those lines. 'Curiosity killed the bat' . . . or is it the rat? Bah, it killed some kind of Earth animal."

Kup grunted. "Any way, you have your assignments. We leave for Iwo Jima tomorrow at fourteen hundred hours local human time. Make sure your energy cells are fully charged. If you have any malfunctions, see Ratchet and have them taken care of. I want everyone fully functional." He turned back to the image of the island. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Kup always have bad feelings," said Swoop.

"It's a common trait among security commanders." He swung his head left to right, taking in the other three Autobots. "That's all. Dismissed."

Brawn, Grimlock and Swoop filed out, followed by Kup. He transformed into a sleek pick-up truck and drove down the corridor toward JAHOC. He wanted to meet with General Goodson and get a better idea how the human forces would be deployed on and around Iwo Jima. In addition, he wanted to get clarification on any cultural issues that might arise. He heard that parts of the island held special significance for many American warriors, especially the dormant volcano called Mount Suribachi. Kup didn't want the other Autobots doing anything that might desecrate it and offend the humans. Happy allies were good allies.

He turned a corner, the entrance to JAHOC a half-mile away. A human in a green Army dress uniform stepped out of a transport tube. Kup rolled to a half to let him pass. The human stopped and turned to him.

_Oh great._

He instantly recognized Lieutenant Jeff Rowan.

The two stared at each other in silence.

_I guess he still blames me for New Mexico._ Many times he blamed himself for what happened there. There, and on many other battlefields throughout the galaxy.

"Lieutenant Rowan," Kup said in a flat tone.

"It's captain, now."

"I heard they assigned you to this mission."

Rowan gave a barely perceptible nod. "My A Team is protecting the American science team. I'm just coming from a meeting with their leader."

More silence passed before Kup spoke. "There aren't going to be any problems between us, are there?"

The human's jaw tightened. He drew a deep breath and replied, "I'm a professional. General Goodson gave me a job to do, and I will do it."

"That's not the answer I was hoping for."

"That's the best answer you're going to get from me."

Rowan turned and started to walk away.

"This is war, you know." Kup's words caused Rowan to halt. "Mistakes happen. Bots and organics die. It's unfortunate, but that's reality. I'd figure someone like you would understand."

Rowan stood statue still. Kup wondered if the human was ignoring him. He considered saying something else when Rowan turned back to him, eyes narrowed. "I know people die in war. But a lot of those deaths wouldn't have happened if we'd have had better weapons."

"We've been over this subject more times than I care to compute. I'm surprised you'd bring it up again, since that's one of the reasons you were demoted."

"Try to deny it." Rowan stomped toward Kup. "How many of our soldiers would be alive today if they had more advanced weapons to fight the Decepticons?"

"You do have advanced weapons, at least by human standards."

"Which still do us no good against the 'Cons unless we hit them in a vulnerable spot, like the face of their joints. We'd stand a better chance with hand-held pulse cannons or rocket launchers that can self-replicate more rounds, stuff that can actually penetrate Decepticon frontal armor."

"And you really think if we give you those weapons they'll only be used against Decepticons?"

Rowan said nothing, just gave him a hard stare.

"Look at all the wars you humans had before our revival on Earth," Kup continued. "Even after all these year living under the threat of annihilation by the Decepticons, humans still fight each other. The Gulf War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Yugoslavia."

"And how many other countries put aside their differences to fight the Decepticons? I doubt the Cold War would have ended or India and Pakistan would be on better terms if Megatron hadn't popped up. We would use those weapons responsibly. Hell, we've had nukes for nearly fifty years and we haven't blown up the world."

"And what if one of your dictators like Saddam Hussein or Kim Jung-Il or a human terrorist group get their hands on weapons based on our technology? Do you think they'll use them responsibly?"

"Given the fact the human race is history if the Decepticons win, that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Well I'm not."

Kup revved his engine, drove around Rowan and continued down the corridor.

_He just doesn't understand. _Rowan had a hard time looking at anything beyond his fellow soldiers in the field. An admirable trait, most times. But Kup couldn't afford that sort of narrow focus.

Not unless he wanted a repeat of the most tragic mistake of his life.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_The Steve Howe reference refers to former Major League Baseball pitcher Steve Howe. He played from 1980-1996, but suffered from drug and alcohol addiction which led to him being suspended from his teams seven times throughout his career._


	3. Chapter 3

"Aw great. We got a hippy with us."

The comment came from the person sitting next to Rowan. He turned to the burly form of Master Sergeant Flaherty, who stared down the cargo compartment of the C-141. Following his gaze, Rowan saw D'Amato sitting cross-legged on the deck, a pink mat underneath her and a CD player attached to her belt. She lifted her arms, stretching to one side, then the other. Next she stretched out her legs and leaned forward, grabbing her toes. Yoga was not his thing, but Rowan admired the ease with which D'Amato did each move.

His eyes widened when he saw the physicist stretch out her right leg, stick her left heel into her groin, then bend to the side and grab her right foot.

"I did not realize humans can bend in such ways."

Skids' voice shook Rowan from his stupor. He turned to the Autobot, who was in the form of a blue Honda City compact car with red flames on the side.

"It is most fascinating."

Rowan nodded. "You got that right, Skids."

He glanced around the compartment and noticed several other soldiers looking at D'Amato. They, too, seemed fascinated.

Rowan felt a flicker of jealousy.

D'Amato continued her yoga for the next half-hour. He found it hard to take his eyes off her, especially when she did pelvic tilts and back bends.

When she finished, she rolled up her mat slipped on her shoes and removed her headphones. Many of the soldiers kept looking at her, probably wishing she'd continue her yoga. Rowan was one of them. It was a long-ass flight to Iwo Jima. Any distraction was welcome.

"A remarkable display of flexibility, Doctor D'Amato," said Skids.

She spun around to face the Autobot theoretician. "Thanks."

"Have you been doing these stretching routines for long?"

"It's called yoga, and yeah, I've been doing it since high school."

"Do you normally do it in front of an audience?" asked Rowan.

D'Amato looked around the compartment. Nearly all the soldiers who'd been staring at her quickly averted their eyes. She turned back to Rowan, shrugged and smiled. "Hey, I'm not going to miss a yoga session just because I'm cooped up in this plane for nearly eighteen hours. Actually, I think being stuck in here is a good reason to do some yoga. How can you sit on those metal benches for so long and not get stiff and sore?"

"You get used to it."

"Really?" D'Amato put her hands on her hips.

Rowan responded with a short laugh. "All right, I lied. It sucks. And the in-flight meal isn't any better."

"You got that right, Sir," Staff Sergeant Cruz, the A Team's radioman, chimed in. "They don't even give us a bag of peanuts, or booze."

"If you have time, Doctor," said Skids, "I would like to learn more about this yoga exercise."

"I can tell you all about it right now. It's not like we're going to land any time soon."

D'Amato sat in front of Skids, explaining and showing each pose and how they benefit both body and mind. The demonstration went on for about a half-hour, and again attracted the attention of the men around her.

_She does have one hell of a body, _Rowan thought as D'Amato lunged and raised her arms.

"Thank you for the demonstration, Doctor," Skids said when D'Amato finished. "This has added to my knowledge of the physical and mental capabilities of humans."

"Happy to help, Skids."

"You really are into yoga, aren't you?" said Rowan.

D'Amato turned to him, then stepped over and plopped down on the bench next to him. "We scientists don't spend all are time sitting in offices and writing out equations on a blackboard. You'd be surprised how many solutions I've worked out or theories I've come up with doing yoga. Besides, it's a great way to relax. Everyone needs a way to unwind after a long day. What about you?" She nudged Rowan with the tip of her elbow. He felt a hitch in his breath. "What do you do to relax?"

"Go to a shooting range."

"That's relaxing? You're in the Army. You shoot guns all the time."

"Yeah, but paper targets don't shoot back. That makes it relaxing."

D'Amato made a face at him. "There has to be something you do that doesn't involve guns."

"Okay, I play _Raiden _and _Street Fighter _on my Sega."

D'Amato sighed. "Let's try this again. Do you have any hobbies that don't involve blowing things up, either in real world or on a television screen?"

"All right. I still collect baseball cards."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's a good way to see a player's progression, or regression, over the years. I'm always anxious to see what the design of the card is going to be every year and compare them to years past. Plus it's a great way to sharpen your memory."

"You mean by memorizing statistics?"

"Not only that." Rowan looked up at the overhead for a few moments. "Davey Lopes' 1977 Topps card. He's actually named Dave Lopes. On the back, the card number is 180. The baseball factoid on the left hand side reads, 'Al Rosen once hit five home runs in a minor league game.' The first line of Lopes' vitals section reads, 'Height: 5'8, Weight: 170, Bats: Right, Throws: Right, Drafted: Dodgers, Number 26, Special, Jan 1968.'"

D'Amato stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow, I'm impressed."

"Oh yeah. Lopes' career high in RBIs, to that point, was 41 in 1975."

"My God, I didn't know you had a photographic memory."

"I don't know about photographic. It's just a memorization skill. It also helps in the field when remembering every detail about an enemy position or a map can mean the difference between life and death."

D'Amato smiled and shook her head. "I have to tell you, Captain -"

"Jeff," he said without pause.

"I have to tell you, Jeff, you certainly aren't the traditional stereotype of an Army commando."

"Well you certainly aren't the stereotype of the egghead scientist."

D'Amato chuckled and smiled.

Rowan smiled back.

**XXXXX**

"Thank the Matrix," Kup said as the nose of the C-5 Galaxy transport rose. He revved his engine, drove down the ramp and onto the runway of Iwo Jima Air Base. He rolled to a stop not far from the massive human aircraft and transformed into robot mode. Groaning, he flexed his arms, raised his left leg, then his right to get the stiffness out of his joints. Twenty hours in vehicle mode was much too long at his age. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave the plane to, as the humans say, "stretch his legs," during their stops in Hawaii and Guam. It was just refuel and get back in the air. He understood they needed to get to Guam as fast as possible. It didn't mean he had to like it.

"I never can get over how slow these human planes are," said Brawn, now in robot and standing behind Kup. "I'd rather fly in a shuttle. We could have been here in under an hour."

Kup grunted in acknowledgement. But with all the Autobots' shuttles either out on other missions or undergoing repairs, they had use on the slow, cramped transports of the US Air Force.

He looked around the airfield, shrouded in the early morning darkness. Perceptor, Skids and Pipes exited their C-141s and made their way over. Kup saw no sign of –

A steady whine came from overhead.

"Ah, you finally made it."

Kup looked up to see a dark green saucer-shaped craft with yellow trim descending. It transformed into a bulky robot and landed in front of him.

"Cosmos. How long have you been here?"

"Since early this afternoon."

Kup groaned, more than a little jealous of Cosmos' ability to fly, and do it much faster than any human aircraft.

"Ah, Cosmos." A stout red and blue Autobot with a large tube attached to his left shoulder approached. "Have you been able to scan the anomaly since your arrival?"

"Affirmative," he answered Perceptor. "It is emitting some energy signatures similar to those produced by a space bridge, but that energy is very faint. Its exact nature is still unknown."

Perceptor rubbed his hands together. "Well then, let us join the human science teams to begin a more thorough analysis. I am very anxious to learn what this anomaly is."

"I wouldn't be too anxious," said Kup.

"How can you be so negative? We have the opportunity to make an exciting discovery."

"Not all discoveries are exciting. Some can wind up having pretty nasty consequences."

"Spoken like a true security commander." Perceptor waved to the other Autobots on the science team. "Come."

Kup watched the four walk away, circuits sizzling. What was it with the science types? Why did they never once consider the potential danger of something they just discovered? What if this anomaly unleashed a stream of anti-matter and annihilated everything on Earth? He'd seen that before on the planet Daryi.

His thoughts were interrupted by a Jeep that drove up to him. A skinny Japanese soldier jumped out and saluted.

"Are you the Autobot security detachment?"

"Yeah." Kup returned the salute. "I'm Kup, that's Brawn, Grimlock and Swoop."

"General Hatazami requests your presence for a security briefing. Please follow me."

The soldier got back in his Jeep and started the engine. Kup and Brawn transformed into vehicle mode and followed. The Dinobots flew overhead, Grimlock generating an anti-gravity field, Swoop using his pterodactyl form.

Two jets screamed over the base. Twin-tailed F/A-18 fighters with US markings. Both aircraft had long black tubes attached to their underbellies. NOVA-3 solid state laser packs, the humans' most powerful airborne directed energy weapon. Kup had seen those things put a Decepticon out of action with one shot. Unfortunately, they only carried enough power for two shots.

He scanned the rest of the base. Two Japanese Type 90 tanks mounting solid state lasers rolled along the perimeter. Troops walked around with grenade launchers, their six-chamber drums holding Rocket-Assisted Armor-Piercing Thermite, or RAAPT, rounds, which the humans called "Raptors." The grenade could burn through the hulls of many older main battle tanks, as well as the weak points in Decepticon armor.

Out to sea, Kup observed numerous UEA ships circling Iwo Jima. Many mounted rail guns and lasers in addition to their missiles and projectile guns.

He thought of his encounter with Captain Rowan, the human's anger at how the Autobots would not share their weaponry with Earth's militaries. Kup had told him such advanced armaments in human hands could result in a war that would devastate this world. But when he looked around Iwo Jima, he wondered if such a policy even mattered. The mere presence of Autobots and Decepticons forced the humans to make great technological advances in their weaponry. If they ever rid Earth of the Decepticons, would the humans ultimately turn these weapons on each other?

The Jeep came to a stop outside an aircraft hangar. A long, wooden conference table had been set up inside, along with a pair of boards covered by photographs, maps and diagrams. Men in various military uniforms stood around the table, while more entered.

Kup and Brawn transformed, while Grimlock and Swoop landed outside the hangar.

"General Hatazami will arrive shortly," said the Japanese soldier.

"Thanks." Kup nodded to him.

The soldier saluted and drove off.

The Autobots entered the hangar, greeting those UEA officers they had worked with previously and introducing themselves to the ones they didn't know. Kup was talking to Admiral Lujack, the commander of the US Naval task force, when a trio of men in dark blue Russian navy uniforms entered. The officer in front, a round man with a ruddy complexion, aimed a hard gaze at Lujack and the rest of his staff. He scowled and shook his head, taking a spot at the table as far removed as possible from the Americans.

"Great," Kup muttered. It looked like one of the Russians didn't want to let go of his Cold War hatred of the Americans.

"Attention!" blared one of the Japanese officers.

All stood straight, including the Autobots. A stocky Japanese man with a stony expression entered the hangar. Lieutenant General Masao Hatazami, the commander of UEA operations on Iwo Jima. Kup recalled the file he'd downloaded about the man. Born in Sendai, age 54, former commander of the JSDF's 7th Armored Division, fought with distinction in three engagements with the Decepticons. On computer, Hatazami looked like a good soldier. But Kup learned long ago that a file didn't tell you everything about a warrior. It didn't show their personality, how they led, how well they adapted to the ever-changing circumstances on the battlefield. That made Hatazami was an unknown quantity to him, and unknown quantities could get bots and organics killed.

Hatazami stood at the head of the table, a short Japanese soldier with glasses next to him.

"At ease," ordered Hatazami. The other soldier repeated those words in English and Russian. A translator. Not that Kup and the other Autobots needed one. They had learned most of Earth's languages by monitoring TV and radio broadcasts.

"Welcome to Iwo Jima," Hatazami said through the translator. "As you know, we are all here because the anomaly offshore. We do not have any idea what it is, but our superiors feel it is important we investigate it. If they feel it is important, certainly Megatron and his Decepticons will feel the same. It is our job to prevent them from interfering with this operation."

Hatazami went over Iwo Jima's defenses. Energon detectors ringed the island. The UEA naval element would be divided into two defensive rings, the inner ring up to 20 miles from the shores of Iwo Jima, the outer ring up to 50 miles out. Twelve to 20 fighter jets would be in the air at any given time on CAP, or Combat Air Patrol, duty. The Japanese or Americans would also have an E-2 Hawkeye AWACS plane airborne, its AN/APS-145 radar able to detect targets over 340 miles away. Not that it would do much good since Decepticons were invisible to human radar. At least they did carry energon detectors, though their range was limited to about 40 miles.

Still, Kup was so far satisfied with how Hatazami arranged his defenses.

"The anomaly," the general continued, "is situated a mile-and-a-half east of the southern tip of Iwo Jima. This is where we will concentrate the majority of our ground forces. Commander Kup, I want one Autobot stationed in this area at all times."

"Will do, General."

"In addition, I want artillery placed on Mount Suribachi to give us better fire support for both ground and naval units. Commander Kup, your Autobots can easily carry howitzers and self-propelled guns to the mountain's peak. Do that immediately following this briefing."

"Consider it done."

Hatazami nodded. "Now, the research ship _Okita _is stationed a mile from the anomaly. Should the Decepticons attack, their objective will not only be to secure the anomaly, but to either capture _Okita _and obtain all the information we have gathered, or simply destroy it. I want our most heavily armed warship shadowing _Okita_ at all times. Admiral Potekhin." He turned to the round Russian. "You will move your battlecruiser _Soyuza _near the _Okita."_

Potekhin folded his arms and scowled again.

Hatazami's brow furrowed. "Is there a problem, Admiral?"

"_Da_, General. There is a problem. You are aware that the _Soyuza _is one of the newest ships in the Russian navy."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"As such, it is a very valuable asset in the defense of Mother Russia."

"And your point?"

Kup tilted his head, also wondering where Potekhin was going with this.

"We still have no idea what this anomaly is, the dangers it may present. I have talked to many of the members of our science team. The theories they have range from a portal to another dimension to a wormhole that may lead to a world in another part of the galaxy. What assurance can you give me that the _Soyuza_ will not accidentally be whisked away to who knows where?"

"I can give you no guarantees, as we still do not know what this anomaly is."

"Then I cannot risk our navy's newest and most advanced warship. You must find another ship to protect the _Okita."_

Hatazami's wide eyes locked on Potekhin. He drew a slow breath. Kup sensed the general's anger rising to volcanic proportions.

"It is not up to you to decide which orders to follow or not."

"My duty first and foremost is to the Russian people. Therefore, I will not -"

"You _will _move the _Soyuza _to cover _Okita. _According to Section Six of the United Earth Autobot Charter, overall command of any anti-Decepticon operations shall fall to either Optimus Prime, his second or third in command, or to a human senior officer in the country where the engagement takes place. Iwo Jima is Japanese soil, therefore, overall command is mine. All military personnel, regardless of country, operating under a UEA mandate are obligated to follow the orders of the on-scene commander."

"I, too, know the UEA charter," countered Potekhin. "The head of state can recall any forces assigned to UEA missions at his discretion."

"For a national emergency. I am not aware of any current crisis facing Russia."

"Or maybe you don't want the _Soyuza_ near that anomaly because it's your flagship," said Admiral Lujack.

Potekhin's face reddened. "Are you calling me a coward? I do not see your vaunted aircraft carrier near the anomaly. I think it is you who are the coward, American, not me."

"Now listen here, you Russian -"

"Calm down, both of you." Kup held up his hands. "I don't know if either of you got the message, but the Cold War's been over for years. You want to jabber back and forth, do it someplace else. Right now we need you both focused on protecting this island from the Decepticons."

"The Autobot is right," said Hatazami. "No more bickering. The _Soyuza _will provide protection to the _Okita._"

Potekhin glared at the Japanese general. "I shall have to inform Pacific Fleet Headquarters of this development. They will, no doubt, ask the Ministry of Defense for guidance in this matter."

"And while you are waiting for their guidance, you will move the _Soyuza _to a position near the _Okita."_

Anger lines dug into Potekhin's face. He gave a slow nod and growled, "_Da."_

The briefing ended ten minutes later. Potekhin stormed out of the hangar, grumbling to his subordinates.

"Unbelievable." Brawn shook his head. "A human like that is more of a help to the Decepticons than us."

Kup said nothing. He just watched Potekhin stomping across the runway, waving his arms and ranting.

_Is Brawn right?_ He wondered. Would this human become a liability to their entire operation?

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


	4. Chapter 4

Rowan stood near _Okita's _bow, watching the Admiral Ushakov-class battlecruiser _Soyuza _grow smaller and smaller as it sailed toward the horizon.

"Some allies," Master Sergeant Flaherty grumbled, scowling at the fading ship, a ship with a huge arsenal of missiles, guns and lasers.

All of which would be needed if the Decepticons attacked.

"That's gotta be bullshit," Sergeant Cruz scoffed. "Unknown submarine prowling around Vladivostok."

"Of course it's bullshit," said Flaherty. "It's just a flimsy excuse for the Ruskies not to risk having one of their biggest warships sucked into the vortex of doom or whatever the hell that thing is."

"Well the Russians still have their brainiacs on this ship. You'd figure they be concerned about losing their best and brightest."

"You're assuming the Russians did send their best and brightest," Rowan countered. "For all we know, they could be the second string. They go bye-bye, no big deal."

"Hey, they go bye-bye, that means we go bye-bye." Cruz winced at the thought. "That's a pretty big deal to me."

"Me too, Cruz. But they don't pay us to sit in a cushy office and drink coffee." _At least, in my case, not any more._

"Yeah right. At least soldiers and Cons you can shoot at. What the hell do you do against that?" Cruz pointed in the direction of the anomaly, which was invisible to the human eye.

"We just gotta hope the Autobots and our science teams can figure out what that thing is and what to do about it."

"Yeah, especially one scientist of the female persuasion, huh, Captain?" Cruz grinned.

Rowan cranked an eyebrow. "Are you implying something, Sergeant?"

"Me, Sir? Hell no. I'm not implying that I've seen you making eyes at a certain theoretical physicist from JPL."

"So I like looking at hot women. Sue me."

"I think she's weird," said Flaherty. "Normal people don't do that yoga shit."

Rowan shrugged. "To each their own."

Flaherty just grunted.

The loudspeaker mounted to the research ship's island boomed out something in Japanese, then in English.

"Attention all UEA science teams. Report to the aft helicopter pad immediately." The order was repeated in Russian.

"You heard the man. Let's go." Rowan headed toward the rear of the ship, followed by Flaherty and Cruz. He felt a growing thrill at the prospect of seeing Dr. D'Amato.

_Down boy. You have a job to do._ He tried not to think about D'Amato's looks, her lean body, her brilliant smile, her joyful attitude toward life.

Tried and failed.

The members of the UEA science teams filed onto the aft deck, along with their security teams. One of the soldiers, a tall, stout man, nodded to Rowan.

"Hey, Rowan. You got any idea what this is all about?" asked Captain Darryl Forbes of the Australian SAS, whom Rowan had met on a joint-training exercise four years ago.

"Beats the hell outta me."

"Fat lotta good you are." Forbes tacked on a grin.

Rowan looked around the helicopter pad. The Japanese and Russian science teams talked amongst themselves, watched over by their security detachments from the JSDF 1st Airborne Brigade and Russian Army Spetsnaz. He spotted Dr. D'Amato coming down the port ladder of _Okita's _island and felt a brief hitch in his breath. Maybe she knew the reason for this meeting.

He took two steps toward her when one of the Japanese scientists hollered something and pointed. Rowan looked west, in the direction of Iwo Jima.

A red object flew toward _Okita._

"Incoming!" He brought up his grenade launcher, as did Flaherty and Cruz. Within moments the Japanese, Australian and Russian security personnel readied their weapons.

"Stand down," ordered Skids, who stood near the stern. "It's Perceptor."

The soldiers all lowered their weapons as the Autobots' chief scientist approached the ship. He landed in the middle of the helicopter pad and deactivated his jet pack.

"So what's the big news you have for us, Perceptor?" asked Dr. D'Amato.

"I may have determined the exact nature of the anomaly."

Many members of the UEA science team turned to one another, excited looks on their faces.

"Mind you, this is just a theory, but as Doctors D'Amato and Kobayashi," Perceptor glanced at one of the Japanese scientists, "discovered yesterday, there is a distinct lack of graviton particles from the anomaly. That rules out the possibility of a wormhole or micro black hole, which means the anomaly cannot transport objects to another point in the galaxy or beyond. In addition, the absence of chronotron particles negates the prospect of a rift in the local time/space continuum."

"So what is it then?" asked Dr. Vickers, a physicist with the Australian contingent.

"My theory is that the anomaly is a portal to another universe, a parallel version of this world."

Most of the scientists went wide-eyed, and no one was more wide-eyed than Dr. D'Amato.

"A parallel world?" she spoke in a reverent whisper. "Are you sure about that?"

"Not with absolute certainty," answered Perceptor. "But that is the most plausible hypothesis."

D'Amato's entire face lit up. "This is incredible. Beyond incredible. Parallel worlds have been a fringe theory for years. If we can actually prove they exist . . ."

She held up her hands and looked down at the deck, a look of intense concentration on her face. Her hands moved back and forth, slowly at first, then picking up speed.

"The frequency," D'Amato blurted and rushed up to Perceptor. "If we can direct an electromagnetic wave at the portal to match its energy frequency, there's a chance we can open it."

"I surmised that as well, Doctor D'Amato. I have all the necessary equipment in my laboratory back at Autobot City to construct an electromagnetic amplifier. I'll have it flown to Iwo Jima as quickly as possible."

Lieutenant Colonel Valuysky, the CO of the Spetsnaz security force, said something in Russian.

"What did he say?" asked Dr. Vickers.

"'Are you sure it is a good idea to open this thing?'" Flaherty, who was fluent in Russian, translated.

Rowan looked at the Master Sergeant, then to D'Amato. He had to admit, as a lifelong sci-fi fan, he was curious to see what kind of world might be on the other side of that portal. But one episode of _Star Trek _kept coming to mind, an episode that made him think Colonel Valuysky had a valid point.

"Mirror, Mirror."

"I beg your pardon, Captain," Perceptor said in a perplexed tone.

Before he could explain, D'Amato jumped in. "You mean the old _Star Trek _episode? That's one of my favorites." Her eager smile began to fade. "Oh. Oh yeah, I see what you mean."

"I have accessed the information on the television show you're talking about. 'Mirror, Mirror,' Episode Number Thirty-Three of the original _Star Trek _series, first aired on October Sixth, 1967 on the NBC television network. The episode dealt with Captain James T. Kirk and his landing party being accidentally transported to a parallel universe where they encounter an evil version of the United Federation of Planets."

Perceptor paused. "Ah. I see the basis of your concern, which is valid. We do not have to fully open the portal. I can program the electromagnetic amplifier to create a small opening, just large enough to send a probe through. If we discover something that could pose a threat to our universe, I can readjust the pulse and close the portal."

Rowan saw one of the Spetsnaz soldiers translate Perceptor's words for Valuysky's benefit. The Russian colonel's brow furrowed as he directed his comments at the Autobot.

"Sergeant?" Rowan turned to Flaherty.

"He told Perceptor he hopes he can close the portal before whatever's on the other side comes through to our world."

**XXXXX**

_Secret Decepticon Base_

_East Caroline Basin, 700 miles north of New Guinea_

"Laserbeak returns, Megatron."

The gray and black-skinned Decepticon leader turned from Soundwave and stared down the tunnel. A squat, hawk-like robot flew toward him. Anxiousness coursed through his circuits. The UEA had dispatched a large fighting force to some tiny island the humans called Iwo Jima. If so many fleshlings and Autobots were on that speck in the ocean, it had to be for a very important reason. Could it be something that might change the course of this war? He hoped so. For too long he had been confined to this disgusting mudball teeming with even more disgusting fleshlings. He had an entire galaxy to conquer, countless billions of organics to slaughter to make way for his robotic empire.

But as long as Optimus Prime and his Autobots made Earth their main base of operations, he was stuck here.

Megatron extended one of his massive, square-shaped arms, which Laserbeak perched itself on.

"You were not discovered by our enemies, were you?"

Laserbeak shook its head.

"Excellent." Megatron had ordered the small Decepticon to observe the UEA forces from the edge of the atmosphere, out of range of most of their sensors.

"What do you have to show me?"

Beams of green light shot out Laserbeak's eyes. A glowing, three-dimensional image of Iwo Jima floated in the middle of the chamber. Smaller images dotted the island and the water around it. Ships, aircraft, buildings, fleshlings.

Autobots.

Not far from the southern tip of the island was a circular icon identified by a single word.

Anomaly.

Next to the word was a torrent of data.

"Soundwave." Megatron pointed to the anomaly. "Analyze."

The rectangular, blue and white Decepticon stepped closer to the hologram. "Data from Laserbeak indicates the anomaly is producing some energy readings similar in nature to those of a space bridge."

"So the Autobots and the fleshlings are constructing a new space bridge?"

"Unlikely," stated Soundwave. "Some energy readings are similar to a space bridge, but they are not an exact match."

"So what is it?"

"Uncertain."

"Then guess!" Megatron snapped. Much as he enjoyed Soundwave's unquestioning loyalty, the Decepticon did have a maddening habit to wait until he had studied all the facts on any situation before coming to a conclusion.

Soundwave continued to stare at the hologram, and stare at it, and stare at it. Megatron clenched his fists and prepared to holler when Soundwave finally spoke.

"Speculation based on available data is that the anomaly is inter-dimensional in origin."

"And just what, exactly, does that mean?" A piercing voice came from the chamber's entryway.

Megatron scowled as he fixed his gaze on a red, gray and blue Decepticon with a boxy red torso, swept wings and narrow intakes protruding from each shoulder.

Soundwave looked over his shoulder at Starscream. "The possibility exists that the anomaly could transport objects from one universe to another. More analysis is required before its exact nature can be determined."

"Another universe." Starscream turned to Megatron. "More worlds for us to conquer."

"That is theory, not fact," said Soundwave. "The possibility exists worlds in another universe could be uninhabitable to both robotic and organic lifeforms."

"Or they could be ripe for plunder. We should secure this anomaly before the Autobots and the fleshlings find a way to enter it."

"Your impatience will be your undoing, Starscream," Megaton told him. "As Soundwave said, we still have no idea what exactly this anomaly is. I will send Laserbeak back to Iwo Jima to continue his surveillance. We shall let the Autobots and fleshlings do the work for us. Should they discover the anomaly's true nature, and if it is something that will benefit the Decepticon cause, then we shall strike!"

**XXXXX**

"Three Jacks. Pay day for me."

Groans rose from around the table as Rowan reached out and slid the pile of bills and coins toward him. It was his third winning hand of the night. Not bad for an average poker player.

Dr. Vickers, acting as dealer, reshuffled the deck and flung cards at each player; Rowan, Cruz, Sergeant First Class Anderson, Captain Forbes and two of his SAS troopers, and two soldiers and a scientist from Japan. None of the Russians joined them. Rowan felt they were still operating under a Cold War mentality. Don't fraternize with the foreigners. They'll try to pry state secrets out of you, or worse, corrupt you with their imperialist ways.

He wondered if some of those Russians would ever accept the fact the Cold War was over and they needed to concentrate on the war with the Decepticons.

_Well, you're not going to change their minds. All you can do is focus on your job._

Not that there was much to focus on right now. Omega Supreme had delivered the equipment for the electromagnetic amplifier a few hours ago, and Perceptor and Pipes still hadn't finished putting it together on Iwo Jima. Until then, the UEA science teams were in a holding pattern.

"I'm putting in one." Forbes dropped an Australian dollar bill on the center of the table.

"I'll match that." Anderson tossed in a US greenback. While different in market value, everyone decided that figuring out the exchange rate between Aussie and US dollars and Japanese yen was a pain in the ass. It was easier to play as though the bills and coins were of equal value.

Rowan also put in a bill, though he only had a pair of threes. Ultimately, it was a Japanese soldier named Wakatake who won with a full house.

"Bloody hell." Forbes shook his head. "Everyone's winning but me."

"Begging your pardon, Captain," said Anderson, the A Team's medic, "but have you seen this poor ol' Green Beret get a single penny tonight."

"Well if the doc over there would deal out the cards better," Forbes nodded toward Vickers, "then maybe you and I wouldn't be on the way to the poor house."

"Don't blame the dealer." Vickers grinned. "It all comes down to the luck of the draw."

"I think you do good job dealing cards, Doctor," said Wakatake.

"Yeah, you would say that, buddy," grumbled Cruz.

More grumbles went up from the players, as well as a few chuckles.

Rowan smiled. This is what he'd hoped for when Vickers and Forbes suggested a poker game in _Okita's_ mess hall when they got off-duty. The chance for soldiers and scientists from different nations to get better acquainted, to strike up new friendships. He felt it could benefit them if, God forbid, the Decepticons attacked. The better the members of a unit knew one another, the better they fought together.

Vickers dealt again when Rowan spotted a familiar, attractive figure come through the hatchway.

"Playing cards, huh?" D'Amato looked around the table with a huge grin.

"Well we sure hell aren't playing tiddlywinks, Doctor." Vickers verbal jab earned him a few laughs.

That did nothing to wipe the smile off D'Amato's face. "You mind if I play?"

"Are you sure you are up to it?" asked Wakatake.

"Afraid you might lose to a girl? Tsk! That's so 1950s."

"I say her money's as good as anyone's," said Cruz. "And it'll look real good in my pocket."

That earned him another round of laughs.

Vickers extended his hand. "Pull up a chair, Doctor."

"Cool." She bounced on her feet, looking like a little girl excited over getting a new dollhouse. She bounded round the table and took a seat next to Rowan.

"Hi there." D'Amato flashed him a smile.

"Hey." Rowan found it hard to take his eyes off that beautiful smile, or that beautiful face. "So, um, have you played before?"

"Oh, a couple of times."

"Uh-huh." He thought of Cruz's earlier comment. He felt that Dr. D'Amato's wallet was going to be considerably lighter before this night was over.

An hour-and-a-half later, D'Amato raked in her seventh winning pot of the night.

"That's it, I'm done." Forbes held up his hands in surrender.

"Same here," Cruz frowned. "The only thing I have left to bet is some pocket lint."

"Aw, you guys are no fun." D'Amato stared at her winnings with a triumphant look.

"You only played poker a couple of times?" Rowan gave her a skeptical look. "My ass."

"I think we've got a bloody card sharp at this table," Vickers suggested.

"Now, now," D'Amato wagged a finger at him. "I did not cheat. I merely employed strategy, observed all your patterns and calculated the card odds and pot odds. It all comes down to half psychology, half mathematics."

Rowan snorted. "My parents should've gotten me a better math tutor when I was in high school. Maybe I would've won a few more hands tonight."

"Don't feel too bad, Captain." D'Amato patted his shoulder. Rowan held his breath as she continued. "I do have a lot of experience at poker."

"Where at?" asked Vickers.

"Where do you think? Vegas."

Groans went up from several of the soldiers and scientists at the table.

"Man, we got hustled." Anderson threw up his arms.

"No, you just got outplayed."

"I never would have pictured you for an avid poker player," said Rowan.

"And you would have been right, had you met me ten years ago. But I only had a partial scholarship to UCLA, and putting me through school was becoming a financial strain on my parents. So I did a lot of research into poker and blackjack, and when I turned twenty-one I started taking trips to Vegas. It wasn't long before I made enough to pay for the rest of my college, and get a totally awesome car."

"I bet you were popular at the casinos."

"Oh it wasn't long before word got around. I'm pretty much banned from Vegas." D'Amato shrugged her shoulders. "But hey, there's always Reno."

"So you still go to the casinos?" asked Forbes.

"It's not like JPL's paying me a baseball player's salary."

Rowan just stared at D'Amato, impressed and intrigued. Every time he was around the physicist he learned something new about her. Every stereotype he ever had about scientists had been blown out of the water by D'Amato. She could be flakey, competitive, insightful and brilliant, sometimes all within the span of five minutes.

Several people started to rise. Disappointment flashed through Rowan. He didn't want the game to end. Didn't want D'Amato to leave.

Maybe he should ask her to stay in the mess hall, have a cup of coffee together, just so he can find out something else about this fascinating –

Klaxons blared throughout the _Okita._

"All science team leaders report to the bridge immediately!"

Everyone jumped out of their seats. Rowan grabbed his grenade launcher and followed D'Amato out of the mess, with Anderson behind him and Cruz in front of the physicist.

_Decepticons?_ Rowan's finger hovered near the trigger. No, _Okita's _captain, Yoshinori Hidaka, would have mentioned that over the 1-MC. This had something to do with the anomaly, he was certain.

He also felt it was a bad something, not a good something.

"What's going on?" D'Amato demanded when she entered the bridge with the other science team leaders and their bodyguards.

"It's the anomaly," answered Skids, who peered in through the bridge wing's open door. "We have detected significant fluctuations from it."

"Are Perceptor and Pipes using the electromagnetic amplifier?" D'Amato gripped the back of her head and groaned. "They were supposed to contact us when they were ready."

"It's not Perceptor and Pipes. The amplifier is still not ready."

Rowan furrowed his brow. "Then what's causing it?"

"We need to -"

D'Amato was cut off by a voice from the radio. "Cosmos to _Okita. _Come in, _Okita."_

"_Okita _here_," _replied Captain Hidaka in perfect English. "We read you. Report."

"My sensors have determined that the fluctuation in the anomaly is due to some kind of transmission."

"Transmission?" D'Amato took a couple of steps toward the radio. "Do you mean someone or something is trying to contact us?"

"No, Doctor D'Amato. The transmission is not coming fromthe anomaly. Someone is sending a signal _into the anomaly."_

Shocked silence descended on the bridge. Rowan stared at the radio, baffled. If the electromagnetic amplifier still hadn't been set up, who could be transmitting into the anomaly?

"Who is doing this?" asked Dr. Oshimoto, the head of the Japanese science team.

"The transmission does not match any known Autobot, Decepticon or human frequency," answered Cosmos.

"Can you trace the transmission's point of origin?" asked Rowan.

"Affirmative." Long seconds passed before the Autobot spoke again. "Oh, this is rather disturbing."

Tension grew within Rowan. "What's disturbing?"

"Whoever is transmitting that signal into the anomaly, they are doing it from Iwo Jima."

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


	5. Chapter 5

"I knew that damn anomaly was going to give us trouble."

Kup tromped through the thick ash, his eyes fixed on the cave 30 meters away. Whatever was transmitting the signal into the anomaly came from in there.

He thought about what Cosmos had reported. The transmission matched no known Autobot, Decepticon or human frequency. So who or what was it? How had it gotten past all the security surrounding Iwo Jima?

How had it gotten past him?

Kup rid himself of the troubling thought. Beating himself up over this would accomplish nothing.

He glanced around. Brawn and Grimlock stood on either side of him. A platoon of JSDF Airborne soldiers and Russian Naval Infantry formed around them.

"All those with rocket and missile launchers remain outside and establish a perimeter around the cave mouth," ordered the leader of the human soldiers, a Japanese captain named Tazawa. "We cannot risk using them in there and causing a cave-in."

"Good advice," said Kup. He looked to Brawn. "Be sure to program all weapons to kinetic-energy projectiles."

"You got it." The stocky Autobot raised his arms. Slim gun tubes popped out of each forearm.

"Grimlock. Stay here with the other human soldiers and guard the cave mouth."

"Me, Grimlock, want to smash, um, whatever in there." The Dinobot pointed at the cave.

"Well if whatever's in there comes out, you can smash it all you want."

"Kup promise?"

He stifled a groan. Sometimes dealing with the Dinobots could be, as the humans say, a pain in the ass. "I'll see what I can do."

With Grimlock satisfied, The UEA force started toward the cave. A deep thumping sound came from above. Kup looked up to find four AH-1 Cobra gunships – two American, two Japanese – hovering overhead. He also glimpsed Swoop, in pterodactyl form, circling the area. They should have more than sufficient firepower to deal with whatever was in that cave.

_Should _being the operative word.

The Japanese and Russians pulled their night vision goggles down over their eyes as they entered the cave. Kup swiveled his head left to right, his enhanced optics taking in every detail of the cave. He found nothing out of the ordinary. His audio receptors picked up nothing except the crunch of booted and metallic feet on rocks.

They continued deeper into the cave. Kup and the others checked every crevasse and outcropping they came across. Cosmos reported the transmission had ceased. That meant whatever had broadcast it was likely hiding. Kup also glanced down to keep tabs on the human soldiers. There had been occasions on Earth and other planets where Autobots accidentally stepped on their organic allies. It hadn't happened to Kup in his long life and he intended to keep it that way.

He neared achamber on the right. According to the diagram of Iwo Jima's cave system, it had been hollowed out by the Japanese army during World War II to store supplies.

_It'd also make a good hiding place for whatever this thing is._

He waved for Tazawa's attention and pointed to the chamber. Using hand signals, the captain directed him and four Russian naval infantrymen to check it out.

Kup crept along the wall, the Russians behind him. He stopped at the edge of the chamber, raising his right arm and the gun protruding from it. He turned to the Russians and mouthed, "Ready?"

The lead Russian nodded and brought up his grenade launcher.

Kup raised his left hand and counted down. Three . . . Two . . . One!

He swung into the clear and dropped to one knee, gun arm up. The Russians raced around him and into the chamber.

It was empty.

The Russians lowered the weapons. Kup brought down his arm and scowled. _Where are you?_

He let the Russians exit the chamber before taking a step forward. Maybe the thing had already fled the cave. The thought made Kup's circuits sizzle. Wouldn't that be perfect? First it got passed every layer of security on and around Iwo Jima, and now –

A scraping sound came from further down the cave.

Kup stood still, concentrating.

"What is it?" Brawn whispered.

"Quiet." Kup held up a hand. He tuned his audio receptors to maximum.

Nothing.

_C'mon, I know you're out there._

Thirty seconds passed. Still nothing. He processed all the noise he'd heard over the past minute, eliminating footsteps, talking and breathing. Only one sound remained, something that sounded like metal on rock.

Kup walked up to Captain Tazawa and bent down. "There's something further ahead," he spoke as soft as possible. "About seventy meters."

Tazawa scrunched his face, looked down the cave, then back at Kup. "I heard nothing."

Kup tapped the side of his head. "Better hearing than humans, much better. Trust me, something is down there."

A few seconds passed before Tazawa nodded. Using hand signals he deployed two squads on the Autobots flanks. With Kup and Brawn on point, they proceeded down the cave. Ten meters. Twenty meters. Thirty. Forty.

Kup heard the scraping sound again.

So did the humans. Tazawa held up a fist. The entire group halted.

Kup's gaze settled on a rock outcropping to the right. He magnified his vision.

A curved shape vanished behind the rocks.

"There." Kup pointed to the outcropping.

Tazawa nodded. He waved the group forward.

Both Kup and Brawn trained their guns on the outcropping. So did many of the humans.

"Whatever it is," Kup whispered, "we should try to take it prisoner so we can –"

Something leapt up from behind the outcropping. Strobes flashed from it. Yellow tracers sliced through the air.

"Down!" Kup shouted.

Too late for Tazawa and four other soldiers. Bloody holes exploded across their bodies. One man's head burst in a cloud of red. Urgent shouts went up. Deep pops erupted from grenade launchers. Chunks of rock disintegrated. The thing dropped back behind what remained of the outcropping.

Kup and Brawn charged forward. So did several humans.

The thing shot up from behind the outcropping. Silver metal wings spread out from its rounded body. Its long neck ended in a diamond-shaped beak crowned by several thin antennae. Small multi-barrel guns sprouted from its wings.

Kup and Brawn jumped in front of the humans. Tracers spat from the robotic bird. The rounds pinged off the Autobots' armor. Kup brought up his right arm and fired. Brawn did the same a second later.

The outcropping exploded. The bird flew out of the shower of rock, still firing.

"Look out!" Kup dropped to one knee and fired. His round missed.

Raptor rounds from the humans' guns filled the air. The bird streaked through the barrage, untouched. Small missiles shot from its belly.

Several humans jumped to the side. Kup stretched out his arm. One missile hit the back of his hand and exploded. It didn't even dent his armor.

The second missile struck the cave floor. A mini-geyser of sparks and flame shot up. Two humans screamed in agony.

_Dammit._

"It's getting away!" Brawn shouted and fired at the bird. He missed.

"Come on!"

Kup ran after it, Brawn close behind. Several humans followed, but with their much longer strides, the Autobots soon outpaced the Japanese and Russians.

Kup and Brawn kept firing. The bird dove and banked, trying to throw off their aim.

And the damn thing succeeded.

The mouth of the cave came into view.

"Grimlock!" Kup hollered. "There's a robotic bird coming your way. Stop it."

No response.

"Grimlock! Grimlock! Dammit!" Kup loosed some more rounds. Metal splinters burst from the tip of the bird's right wing. It shuddered and dropped toward the cave floor. Just before it hit, it pulled up and continued toward the cave mouth.

Kup and Brawn fired and missed. The bird flew unsteady, but it reached the cave mouth, the open air, and free-

Grimlock jumped into view. He snatched the bird in mid-flight with his jaws. It struggled to free itself. Grimlock clamped down harder. Blue sparks exploded from the bird. Smoke poured from it as it went into spasms.

Kup and Brawn reached the cave mouth just as Grimlock spat out the torn robot bird. With a mechanical roar, he raised his right foot and stomped on it. Once, twice, three times. The shattered robot lay in the ash, sparking and smoking.

Grimlock turned to Kup and Brawn. "Me, Grimlock, smash whatever this thing is."

Kup looked down at wreckage. "Yeah, you smashed it, all right."

**XXXXX**

Kup brought the robot bird – or rather, what was left of it – back to one of the hangars at Iwo Jima Air Base. Perceptor, in the form of a large microscope, examined the remains while General Hatazami, some of the UEA science team members and their bodyguards looked on.

"Hmm," Perceptor murmured as his swept his lens back and forth. "Hmm . . . Hmm."

Kup folded his arms, giving the Autobot chief scientist a harsh glare. "So are you going to tell us what this thing is or are you just going to sit there and be fascinated with it for the rest of the night?"

"Hmm? Oh. Sorry." Perceptor transformed back into robot mode. "I have discovered some inner workings that are quite similar in nature to ours, such as transformation circuitry and programming, as well as self-replicating weapons systems."

"But it doesn't look like any Decepticon we have on file," said Captain Rowan.

"That's because it is not a Decepticon. It's lacking two essential components found in all Transformers. One is a sentient spark. This construct is guided by an autonomous program with no independent thought whatsoever."

"So this could be some sort of probe?" asked Hatazami.

"I believe that is exactly what it is. The other thing it is missing is any trace of energon. Instead, its power source is a fusion energy cell."

"So that's why none of our energon detectors picked up this metal cockie," said Captain Forbes.

"Okay." Dr. D'Amato walked over to the wrecked bird. "So we know it's a probe and not a Transformer. Now we just have to find out who built it and why."

"We may not know who built it," said Kup, "but I have an idea why."

"And what would that be?" asked Dr. Oshimoto.

"This thing killed six human soldiers and injured five others. It didn't bother trying to talk to us, it just started blasting. That means whoever built this are not the friendliest beings in the universe."

"And they are gathering information about our world." General Hatazami stared at the robot bird. "That cannot be good."

Kup nodded. "General, we need to find a way close that portal."

"That will be no problem," said Perceptor. "Once the electromagnetic amplifier has been completed, we can easily match the portal's energy signature and seal it."

"And we'll also lose our chance to learn anything else about the world on the other side." A hint of desperation crept into D'Amato's voice.

"Doctor." Kup pointed to the robot bird. "This proves that the civilization on the other side is more technologically advanced than you humans. If this is just a sample of the weaponry they have, the last thing we want is them coming to Earth."

"I agree," said Rowan, though Kup could tell from the strained look on his face that it pained the human to say that. "We already have enough problems with the Decepticons. The last thing we need is a new enemy to fight."

"We cannot just assume whoever built this probe is hostile," declared Dr. Oshimoto.

Kup grunted. "If all they wanted to do is say, 'Hello,' there are better ways to do it than by shooting at us."

"Perhaps this probe escaped from a laboratory and is not functioning properly. Perhaps the world it came from has many different countries like ours. Some could be peaceful and some could be warlike. We cannot judge that entire world by the actions of one of their countries."

General Hatazami stared first at Oshimoto, then to Kup. Several seconds of silence passed before he spoke. "I am sorry, Doctor. I fear the risk to our world is too great. I will contact UEA High Command at Autobot City and recommend the portal be closed immediately."

"But, General -"

Hatazami snapped up his right hand. "That is my decision, Doctor. The security of Japan, the entire world for that matter, must take precedence."

"Then at least allow me to present my side to UEA High Command," Oshimoto pleaded.

"Me too," said D'Amato. "There might be a way we can explore this other world without whoever built that probe coming through."

"I will pass your requests along to UEA High Command. But given the possible threat to our planet -"

"Cosmos to Kup," Cosmos' voice burst from Kup's external speakers. "Come in. We have a situation."

"What is it, Cosmos?"

"The portal. It's glowing, getting larger. I think someone or something on the other side is opening it."

The humans looked around at one another, many with their eyes and mouths wide. Those were mainly the scientists. The soldiers all appeared tense.

Kup could feel his own anxiety rise. His fears over the damn portal were turning into reality.

"Keep an eye on it, Cosmos. We're on our way."

"Let's go!" Hatazami barked. "To the beach."

Kup transformed into pick-up mode. Hatazami got into the passenger seat, while the Australian and Russian science teams and bodyguards climbed into the bed. Rowan, D'Amato and the other Americans squeezed into Brawn.

The Autobots sped out of the hangar and toward the southern gate. Other vehicles formed up on them. Jeeps, armored personnel carriers, laser tanks. Hatazami used Kup's radio to order all combat helicopters and jets into the air and reinforcements to the southern tip of Iwo Jima. He also directed several warships to converge on the anomaly.

"I don't like the look of that," said Kup when he was a mile-and-a-half from the beach.

"My God," Hatazami muttered as he gazed out the windshield.

The anomaly was clearly visible in the night, an undulating mass of aqua blue light growing larger by the second.

"Kup. Connect me with UEA High Command," ordered Hatazami.

"You're on, General."

Hatazami nodded. "Jayhawk, this is Iscandar."

"Jayhawk reads you five-by-five, Iscandar. Go."

"Put me through to Optimus Prime or General Walcott." Sir Steven Walcott was an RAF general and the highest ranking human in the UEA. "The anomaly appears to be opening. Repeat, the anomaly appears -"

"Something's coming out!" Kup cut him off. He zoomed in on the anomaly.

A swarm of compact aircraft emerged from the portal. Silver in color, each one had inverted v-shaped wings, a single tail and engine and a bullet-shaped cockpit.

Kup initiated a database search to try and identify the jets when they launched a salvo of missiles at Iwo Jima.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Out!" Rowan pushed open the rear passenger door and jumped out. He turned around and pulled Dr. D'Amato out of Brawn. Flaherty, Cruz and the other scientist with them, a tall potbellied man named Siebert, all piled out of the Autobot. Rowan gripped D'Amato by the arm and ran. He glanced toward the ocean.

A dozen contrails streaked toward them.

"Down! Down! Down!"

Rowan threw himself and D'Amato onto the ash. The missiles screamed overhead. He crawled on top of D'Amato to shield her from any shrapnel.

Unless a missile landed on top of them, in which case nothing he did would matter.

Thunderclaps split the air, merging into a single demonic roar. Strobes flashed in Rowan's peripheral vision. The ground shook. He thought he heard D'Amato scream.

Rowan looked toward the road. Flames gushed from the wreckage of seven armored vehicles. The strange aircraft unleashed banshee-like wails as they blasted through the sky.

"What are those things?" asked Siebert, who stared at the sky with wide, fearful eyes.

"Bad guys!" Rowan rolled off D'Amato and raised his grenade launcher. He led one of the enemy jets and fired a pair of Raptor rounds. The jet flew toward the air base. He had no idea if he hit it.

"Let's go! Move! Move!"

He grabbed the back of D'Amato's collar and yanked her to her feet. She ran alongside him, followed by Flaherty and Cruz, who helped Siebert to keep up. Beyond them, Kup and Brawn had transformed into robot form. Lasers and shells from their arms slashed across the darkness. Flames erupted from two enemy jets. They spiraled through the air and smashed into the ground. Both burst into fireballs.

"Alpha Two, Alpha One!" Rowan shouted into his hands-free radio.

"Two. Go," replied Lieutenant Combs, the A Team's executive officer.

"Round up all owls. Repeat, round up all owls." He gave the code to be ready to evacuate the science team members still on _Okita._

"Roger that, One. Rounding up all owls."

"Oi! Rowan!"

He glanced to the right. Captain Forbes charged across the ash, along with two SAS troopers, Dr. Vickers and another Australian scientist, Dr. Paine.

"Newsflash for ya," said Forbes. "Whatever's on the other side of that portal isn't friendly."

"I never would've guessed." Rowan instinctively ducked as two jets screamed overhead. He followed the red glow of their exhausts, then looked beyond them. A stab of fear cut through him. Columns for flame rose from Iwo Jima Air Base.

"What the hell do we do?" asked Vickers, a desperate look on his face.

"We find cover until we can evac you folks," answered Rowan, who scanned the terrain with his night vision goggles. All he saw was ash and weeds. Nothing to hide behind.

"I noticed a small rise on the way here," said Forbes. "About a quarter of a klick back that way. It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

Rowan nodded. "You got that right. Lead the way."

Forbes took point. The others hustled behind him. Siebert panted and stumbled as he ran. So did Paine. D'Amato, however, stayed right with Rowan.

_Thank God at least she's in shape._

"Down!" Cruz hollered.

Rowan dove for the ground, pushing D'Amato with him. He slid over her as the air filled with a high-pitched wail. Fountains of ash kicked up. He clenched his teeth and watched the line of cannon shells pounding toward them.

_Miss. Miss. Please, miss._

They missed him and D'Amato.

They didn't miss Vickers and the SAS trooper covering him.

"Dammit!" Rowan shut his eyes, forcing their deaths from his mind. He still had seven others to keep alive.

"Go! Go! Go!" Rowan got to his feet, pulling D'Amato up with him. They sprinted over the ash. He suppressed a shiver as he saw more fire and smoke rising from the air base. Here and there fireballs winked on and off in the sky. He had a bad feeling most of them were UEA aircraft.

The rise appeared ahead of Rowan. He picked up his pace. So did D'Amato. They followed Forbes behind it and pressed themselves against the tightly-packed ash.

"Iscandar, Alpha One."

Rowan got no response from Iwo Jima Air Base.

"Iscandar, do you read? This is Alpha One at Sector Four. We are pinned down with three owls. Need immediate evac."

He heard nothing but static in his earpiece.

"Iscandar? Iscandar!" Rowan looked to the other soldiers and shook his head. "I can't raise the base."

"I have a bad feeling there's not much left of the base." Flaherty looked to the north, where the flames coming from Iwo Jima Air Base grew more intense.

Rowan scowled. He reached for his radio to change frequencies when Cruz slapped him on the shoulder and pointed. "Sir, look."

He turned left. Two Japanese Type 90 laser tanks rolled down the road, followed by a tracked, rectangular Type 73 armored personnel carrier.

"Okay, people." Rowan looked back at the others. "We're gonna hitch a ride with the JSDF. We'll get them to take us to X-Ray Papa Three." He used the codename for Extraction Point Three. "We secure it and call in Cosmos for pick up. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, follow me."

Rowan started up the rise when the whine of jet engines caught his attention.

"Get back down!" He jumped behind the rise and peered over the top.

The jets slowed. Their noses went up until both aircraft stood on their tails.

Rowan's eyes widened as the jets shimmered and went into a slow-motion explosion. They morphed into stocky humanoid figures with chainmail-like pads over their shoulders and legs. The heads were crowned by helmets with sloping neck guards and curved horns.

The damn things looked like giant robot samurai!

"Are you friggin' kidding me," muttered Rowan.

"Holy shit!" blurted Cruz. "Those damn things are Transformers, too."

Bluish-white beams flashed from the laser tanks. One shot missed. The other struck one of the giant samurai in the shoulder. Flames and sparks exploded from it. The samurai stumbled backwards and fell on its side.

The undamaged samurai raised its right arm. A large gatling gun sprang up from behind the wrist. Yellow tracers lashed out at the armored vehicles. Rowan flinched as the lead tank went up in a ball of flame. The other tank blew up seconds later. A soldier in the Type 73 fired the cupola-mounted .50 caliber machine gun. Rounds sparked off the samurai. It ignored them and blasted the Type 73 into a smoldering wreck.

"And there goes our ride." Flaherty glared at the samurai. "Bastard."

The giant robot turned their way.

"Shit!" Rowan and the others ducked.

Heavy footfalls thumped toward them. Tremors raced through the ground.

Rowan looked to the other soldiers. He pointed to his grenade launcher, then his face. Flaherty, Cruz, Forbes and the other SAS trooper, Sergeant Tanner, all nodded. They turned around and got on one knee, launchers pointing up.

A huge silver face loomed over them.

"Fire!"

Deep thumps burst from the grenade launchers. Raptor rounds tore into the samurai's face. The giant robot shuddered, smoke belching from numerous holes.

It pitched forward.

"Move!"

Rowan rolled to the left. A metallic crash hammered his ears. A short quake rattled his insides.

He stopped and stared at the fallen samurai.

"Everyone okay? Sound off!" Rowan whipped his head to the right. Where was –

"I'm okay."

Relief flooded him when he heard D'Amato's voice.

Flaherty, Cruz, Forbes, Tanner, Siebert and Paine all shouted back they were all right.

"All right," said Rowan. "We can't wait around. We're gonna have to hoof it to the extraction point."

"That's gonna be risky," noted Forbes. "Not much cover on this stinkin' rock."

"I'm all ears if you've got a better idea."

"I could probably come up with one if I had some time. But seeing as we don't, lead on, Yank."

Rowan scanned the area while reloading his grenade launcher. He saw no jets in the immediate vicinity. In the distance, Kup and Brawn held their own. He counted at least eight burning wrecks around the Autobots.

He wondered how long they could keep it up.

"Let's go." Rowan got up and hurried along the rise, followed by the others. Once they reached the end they'd sprint across the road and keep moving. He didn't plan on stopping until –

A sharp wail sounded behind them, drawing closer. He turned. D'Amato screamed.

The damaged samurai soared over the group and landed in front of them. It brought up its good arm. A gatling gun sprang out of its hand, aimed right at Rowan.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


End file.
